The plasma processing apparatus includes, in general, a box-shaped lid and a base having an electrode body. The lid can be moved up and down, and after an object (a substrate) to be treated in the plasma exposure is set on the electrode body, the lid can be lowered to and appressed on the base to define a closed space. The closed space is decompressed and supplied with a processing gas, and the electrode body is applied with a high frequency power so that a plasma atmosphere is generated within the closed space, which implements a plasma process for the substrate set on the electrode body.
Patent Document 1 (JP 2010-502016, A) discloses a method for setting the substrate onto the electrode body by means of an end effector. The substrate is positioned over the electrode body while being supported by the end effector. Then, after retrieving the end effector, the substrate is set directly on the electrode body.